My brethren and sisters, I rejoice

My brethren and sisters, I rejoice in having the privilege of mingling with you in this General Conference of the Church. I enjoyed, beyond measure, the instructions and the spirit of our morning session, and the words of President Smith wherein he said that the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are at peace with themselves, and there was no spirit of contention one with another ¶

within the Church. We have no power over the world except by the power of love, and we have no right to operate in any other way than in the spirit of love and kindness, the spirit of long suffering, and of gentleness toward our fellow men, for that is the Spirit of the Redeemer, our Lord and Master. ¶

I was touched with his counsel, too, and I reflected on what we find recorded concerning the counsels of Adam, when before he left this earth, he called his sons and grandsons, and all the generations that lived in his day, around him and gave them information concerning the things that he knew of God his Father. The knowledge that Adam possessed concerning his Father was handed down to his sons, his grandsons, and great-grand-sons, and possibly many other generations. Those who lived in the days of Adam were acquainted with their fore-fathers, and possibly lived in the presence of many generations, and a knowledge of God was understood by them, and many of them kept the commandments of the Lord. ¶

From time to time, during the days of the prophets of old, the Lord revealed Himself unto His children, and His attributes and His loving kindness were known among the children of men. On one occasion, when He was about to destroy the cities of the plains, we are told that one of the prophets pleaded with Him not to do so, asking for the privilege of going and gathering out those who were honest, saying if he could find fifty righteous, would He spare the cities, and later if He would spare the cities even if he found but ten righteous. And the Lord said His mercy would be extended toward ¶

them providing he could find these few righteous. In the days of Noah the Lord's patience and long-suffering toward the wicked lasted one hundred and twenty years, even after He gave the revelation to Noah to build an ark. The knowledge of our Heavenly Father was handed down by the prophets of the Lord from generation to generation until the coming of His Son, Jesus, into the earth, Jesus became a revelation of His Father to the children of men, through all time thereafter. Divine mercy was shown by the Almighty through His Son coming and ministering among men in the flesh, showing by His works among them, by His gentleness, kindness and long-suffering that the Father loves His earthly children. ¶

I rejoice in the spirit that was proclaimed this morning is possessed by the Latter-day Saints ; that their mission in the earth is one of peace, and the proclamation of peace even with the olive branch. All men must hear the Gospel of peace, and be judged thereby; not only hear the sound, but have in their hearts a knowledge of God, our Father, and comprehend His love toward the children of men. Latter-day Saints believe that very few men in the earth can commit the unpardonable sin, because they do not have knowledge enough concerning God. The sin for which there is no forgiveness is the sin against light and knowledge. Men and women throughout the world, tens of thousands who now take sides against the Latter-day Saints, do so because they have no knowledge concerning that which has been revealed to us from the heavens. If they knew as we know, concerning the revelations of God our Father, they might be just as valiant for the truth, and ¶

just as zealous in proclaiming it as the Latter-day Saints themselves are. ¶

I rejoice to be associated with the young men and young women of Zion, your sons and daughters, who have been sent into the world with the olive branch of peace, to make friends with the world, to win their hearts in every way that is right, that thereby we may teach them the great things that our Father has revealed in this day and time. After the crucifixion of the Savior and the putting to death of the prophets of the Lord, and the true knowledge of God having departed from the earth, He has been merciful in these the last days in restoring anew the Gospel of Jesus ; not only restoring the Gospel, but revealing His own character, and the character of His Son to the. children of men. All the knowledge given to Adam, Abraham, Moses and the prophets of old, has been renewed in this day, through the coming of the Father and of the Son. It has been given to the Latter-day Saints to proclaim to the world that God lives, that Jesus Christ is His Son, and that the love of God shall yet cover the earth as the waters cover the mighty deep. The knowledge of God shall spread upon the earth until every man who is seeking the truth may have the privilege of hearing and obeying it, working out salvation for themselves, and for their fathers and mothers who have gone before, and transmitting that knowledge to their posterity. ¶

I rejoice, my brethren and sisters, in the gathering of the Latter-day Saints, in these semi-annual conferences, and the quarterly conferences, and ward conferences. I believe the day will speedily come when there will be some other featELDER GERMANE. ELLSWORTH. ¶

ures connected with the Latter-day Saints gathering together, that used to be among the Saints of old. We make records of our dead ancestors, and transmit them to our posterity ; and I believe we will incorporate into our associations the spirit that was in the hearts of the prophets of old, and record the stories of our fathers, grandfathers and greatgrand-fathers for the benefit of our children, that they may transmit it to the generations that follow. As I have already stated, Adam transmitted the knowledge of God to his posterity, and taught them all things concerning the purposes of God. In like manner, I believe we should teach our children the history of our parents and grandparents, and all relatives in whose presence we have lived ; and also teach them to transmit the same to their children, that the knowledge of our fathers may go to our descendants by word of mouth as well as by record. The Latter-day Saints have received a revelation from God, in this day, which is in harmony with the revelations that were given to Adam and the prophets of old, that God is our Father, that Jesus Christ is His Son, the only begotten of the Father in the flesh. ¶

To the Latter-day Saints has been given an understanding of the knowledge concerning God that was imparted to Adam. We are living in the dispensation in which this knowledge has again been revealed ; and I believe that we should transmit this important information to our children. God has been merciful and kind to us. It is a wonderful thing to have sounded in our ears, by the very men who stood in the presence of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, that we are His children, that God is in very ¶

deed our Heavenly Father, and Jesus is our Elder Brother. The world does not believe this, and scientific men, men of great worldly learning, have spent their lives in trying to prove some other way to account for the existence of man in the earth. ¶

I am glad, my brethren and sisters, that I know my father was a good man, and my grandfather likewise. I am acquainted with some of their attributes and virtues, and some of the things they tried to do in the world. I know something also concerning my ancestors beyond my grandfather, and what good things they tried to attain in life. That information ought to be transmitted, I think, to my children. A record of all the virtues of our forefathers should be transmitted to the children of men who now live and will live hereafter in the earth, that the good influence thereof might be passed on until the time when Jesus shall come to reign among His children here upon the earth, and dwell with the men and women who have worked for the building up of the kingdom of God. A doctrine that has been revealed in this day is that works should accompany the faith of the Latter-day Saints ; not preaching, only, but building houses of worship, and temples : gathering genealogies, and histories. Seek and find all that we can concerning those who have gone before, and transmit all that is of value to our children, that they may do the work that our Heavenly Father has declared should be done in this day. ¶

I rejoice in the spiritual growth of the young men and young women who have been sent to the Northern States Mission. I rejoice when a testimonv of the Lord comes to them ¶

in defending the faith, and greater love for the work of God comes into their hearts, and that the doctrine of peace, preached this morning, takes possession of them. If I ask them concerning the city where they labor, they can tell you there are many honest-hearted people in it, good men and good women, and they do not wish to be taken away from these cities, at least they do not want the judgment of the Lord to come upon them : they would plead with the Lord for the privilege that the city be saved. They desire to gather out the honest in heart, and teach them that God our Father, in this day has revealed again concerning His character and the character of His Son, and has restored the Gospel with lall the power that has ever been given to men in the earth for the winning of the souls of men, and for teaching men who they are, and what they are in the world for, and why they have been Iplaced upon the earth in this day and time. ¶

It is a glorious thing, my brethren and sisters, to have a knowledge in your heart that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that our Father has been merciful to us in this day in restoring the plan whereby we might be saved in His kingdom. I know this Gospel is true. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I know that Joseph F. Smith is a prophet of God, and that he has influence over the hearts of men and women to lift them up and make them better in this life ; and their righteous lives gives them a better chance of salvation in the life to come. I am only one of hundreds of voting men who have been touched by the lives of the men who stand at the head of this Church, in whose hearts dwells the love of God ¶

and the love of their fellow, men. That influence is not confined either to the President of the Church, and the Twelve Apostles, but is possessed also by Stake Presidents and Bishops, and is in the hearts of all the men and women who have a testimony of God, and are striving to keep His commandments. ¶

May the God of heaven help us to defend the faith, to magnify the name of God through all our days, is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶